At least 43 suspected oil thieves are feared dead after inhaling toxic petroleum fumes during an illegal oil-loading operation in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Several others are also reportedly missing following the midnight tragedy, while some survivors were said to have suffered serious breathing difficulties and were rushed to hospital.
The incident occurred around midnight on Thursday at the Okari Jetty in Okrika Mainland, where a vessel was reportedly loading petroleum products for export.
Trouble started when more than 200 youths, mostly from neighbouring communities, allegedly arrived at the jetty in locally made boats to siphon the same product through an illegal tapping point.
According to a community source, the situation turned deadly when the strong fumes from the petroleum product filled the area.
Many of those involved reportedly became unconscious, with some collapsing into the river as they struggled to escape.
The source said 37 victims had been identified as indigenes of Okrika, while six others were yet to be identified. Several people were also still unaccounted for, raising fears that the death toll could increase.
The Youth and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) confirmed the tragedy, saying its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta reported that at least 37 people had died.
YEAC-Nigeria Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said the victims were allegedly inhaling what is locally referred to as “Indorama fuel” while attempting to load it illegally.
He explained that the youths had reportedly connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline carrying products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical complex through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that periodically arrive in the area for export loading.
The operation reportedly took a deadly turn because the product was being pumped through the pipeline at high pressure while the youths simultaneously attempted to fill their boats.
Some victims allegedly drowned after collapsing into the river, while bodies were reportedly sighted floating on the water but had yet to be recovered.
The tragedy has sparked fresh concerns over illegal oil bunkering and the dangers faced by youths involved in the illicit trade across the Niger Delta.
YEAC-Nigeria called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct an immediate Joint Investigation Visit to determine what happened and establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
The organisation also urged companies whose facilities and pipelines were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around their infrastructure to prevent further incidents.
Fyneface condemned the alleged sabotage, warning youths to stay away from oil and gas facilities because of the dangers posed by high-pressure pipelines and petroleum products.
He also called for alternative livelihood opportunities for people involved in artisanal oil activities, including the development of modular refineries and the formalisation of artisanal refining.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident through its Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Agabe Blessing Karbalo.
The tragedy has once again exposed the deadly consequences of illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta, where desperate attempts to tap petroleum products have repeatedly resulted in fires, explosions, injuries and deaths.
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